Cambodia to begin conscripting civilians amid border row with Thailand
Hostilities between the neighbors spiked in recent weeks after a Cambodian soldier was killed in a shooting incident on May 28 along a contested border area.
Since then, some border areas have seen closures, Cambodia has petitioned the International Court of Justice and banned some Thai imports, and Thailand has suspended its prime minister, Paetongtarn Shinawatra, amid negative reaction to a leaked phone call with former Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen.
'This episode of confrontation is a lesson for us and is an opportunity for us to review, assess, and set our targets to reform our military,' Hun Manet said during a ceremony at a military training center.
Cambodia's parliament enacted a law in 2006 that would require all Cambodians aged 18 to 30 to serve in the military for 18 months. The law hadn't been activated previously.
The CIA's World Factbook estimates that Cambodia's military includes around 200,000 personnel; it says Thailand's military has around 350,000.
During his speech on Monday, Hun Manet called for Cambodia to increase its military budget and for Thailand to reopen the border crossings it had closed.
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Cambodia to begin conscripting civilians amid border row with Thailand
Cambodia will begin conscripting civilians into its military beginning next year, Prime Minister Hun Manet said on Monday, amid simmering tensions along its border with Thailand. Hostilities between the neighbors spiked in recent weeks after a Cambodian soldier was killed in a shooting incident on May 28 along a contested border area. Since then, some border areas have seen closures, Cambodia has petitioned the International Court of Justice and banned some Thai imports, and Thailand has suspended its prime minister, Paetongtarn Shinawatra, amid negative reaction to a leaked phone call with former Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen. 'This episode of confrontation is a lesson for us and is an opportunity for us to review, assess, and set our targets to reform our military,' Hun Manet said during a ceremony at a military training center. Cambodia's parliament enacted a law in 2006 that would require all Cambodians aged 18 to 30 to serve in the military for 18 months. The law hadn't been activated previously. The CIA's World Factbook estimates that Cambodia's military includes around 200,000 personnel; it says Thailand's military has around 350,000. During his speech on Monday, Hun Manet called for Cambodia to increase its military budget and for Thailand to reopen the border crossings it had closed.
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Constitutional amendment allows Cambodian government to revoke citizenship
Cambodian lawmakers on Friday voted unanimously to pass a constitutional amendment that would allow the government to create legislation that would revoke the citizenship of Cambodians found guilty of conspiring with foreign nations to harm the national interest. The change would apply to people who were born Cambodian citizens, people with dual citizenship in Cambodia and another country, and people from other nations who have been granted Cambodian citizenship. All 125 members of the National Assembly voted for the resolution, which legally amends Article 33 of the Cambodian constitution. The move comes after a rise in tensions between Cambodia and Thailand over a border dispute that resulted in a deadly shooting incident, closures at the border, and a political fight that contributed to a Thai court suspending the country's prime minister. Hun Manet, Cambodia's prime minister, used a speech last week to frame the move's expected impact. 'Please don't be concerned if you are a patriot and do not oppose the interest' of Cambodia, he said. 'But if you have conspired with foreign powers to destroy Cambodia then, yes, it is true you should be worried, and in such case you are not a Cambodian. No true patriot would ever plot with foreign powers to destroy their nation.' Critics warn that new legislation targeting dissidents' citizenship would suppress voices critical of the government. 'As the proposal moves closer to becoming reality, anyone who speaks out against or opposes the ruling party will be at risk of having their citizenship revoked,' Montse Ferrer, Regional Research Director for Amnesty International, said in a statement. 'We are deeply concerned that the Cambodian government, given the power to strip people of their citizenship, will misuse it to crackdown on its critics and make them stateless.' Before the amendment, Article 33 of the Cambodian constitution said that 'no Khmer citizen shall be deprived of their nationality, exiled, or extradited to another country except through mutual agreement. Khmer citizens living abroad are protected by the state. The acquisition of Cambodian nationality is determined by law.'
